The present invention relates to the cleaning and disinfecting arts. It finds particular application in conjunction with the safe and expedient cleaning of animal cages and racks and pieces of healthcare and scientific equipment, such as hospital beds, wheelchairs, utensils, carts and instrument containers, and will be described with particular reference thereto. It should be appreciated, however, that the invention is also applicable to the cleaning of other large pieces of equipment, that are manually wheeled into housings that are hazardous to the operator in the event the operator is trapped inside.
Items such as animal cages and associated racks and large pieces of scientific and healthcare equipment are generally cleaned at frequent intervals to remove biological waste, such as urine, feces, and uneaten food. Thorough cleaning aids in preventing the spread of disease and reduces the development of unpleasant odors. Washers have been developed to handle the large scale cleaning and disinfecting of such items. Typically, the washers are large enough for a load to be processed to be wheeled manually into a washing chamber through a refrigerator-type door. The floor of the washing chamber is usually sloped to allow cleaning fluids, sprayed onto the load, to run off the load. The used fluid is collected in a pit or sump, below the washer.
When large numbers of items are to be cleaned, ease of loading and unloading is an important factor. Also, the typical washer is large and the space occupied by the washing chamber and washer door is of concern. In a typical washer, the washer door is manually operated and swings outward on hinges. The operator allows for the outward swing by parking the cage cart, temporarily, at a distance from the washer greater than the outward swing, before manually opening the door. After wheeling the load into the washer, the doors are locked and cleaning of the load commences. Another type of washer door folds inward as it opens, in concertina fashion. This allows the load to be rolled right up to the washer doors before opening them. However, the doors take up space within the washer when open, reducing the space available in the washing chamber for the load of to be processed. The chemicals and temperatures employed in such washers create an environment which is hazardous to operators that are accidentally trapped in the washing chamber during a wash cycle. Operators are sometimes called to work in the washing chamber between cycles such as for making repairs and for cleaning components of the washing chamber. In the event that the door is closed during this period and a washing cycle accidentally commenced, the operator has a fairly short period of time to exit the washing chamber before risking serious injury. Frequently, washers employ safety devices such as safety cables and latch mechanisms which allow the operator to open the doors from the inside. These safety devices are not always immediately accessible to the operator, particularly when the washing chamber is loaded with items to be processed. Further, visibility is often reduced during a cycle due to limited illumination of the chamber and the vapor generated by the incoming cleaning fluid. In combination with the panic often experienced by the operator, these factors sometimes inhibit the ability of the operator to exit the washing chamber quickly.
There remains a need for a door mechanism for a washing chamber which allows for ease of loading items to be processed into the washer and which permits rapid egress for an operator trapped in the chamber.
Cages and racks and other scientific and healthcare equipment often have flat, solid panels which tend to collect water. Puddled water impedes the wash water from striking the covered panel with full velocity and inhibits cleaning and rinsing. A number of systems have developed for tilting a moveable floor of the washing chamber to angle the load so that cleaning fluid runs off the normally horizontal parts of the load. In one tilting system, cables are connected to four corners of the floor. Four separate air cylinders are used to draw the cables selected distances for tilting the floor. Because of the cost and complexity of such systems for moving the floor, the floor is often permanently mounted in the tilted position. Between cycles, loading and unloading of the load is more difficult and a strain is put on the load and transfer carts. Further, in the event of a failure of the air supply for the air cylinders, the floor is not held in position. The sudden leveling of the floor poses a hazard to operators working inside the washing chamber.
A sump beneath the washing chamber collects the cleaning fluid as it drips from the load. To allow the cleaning fluid to pass easily into the sump, the floor generally comprises a series of spaced rails. In one type of washer, the floor of the washing chamber comprises two traveling rails, situated a spaced distance apart. The distance between the rails is adjustable to allow for different widths of loading trolleys to be wheeled into the washing chamber on the two rails. The space between the rails provides a direct access to the sump. The hot cleaning fluid which collects in the sump therefore poses a hazard to operators inside the washing chamber.
There remains a need for a tilting floor for the washing chamber of a washer that automatically levels the floor between cycles for ease of loading an unloading and that allows operators to work in safety within the washing chamber.